Hi everyone! My name is Rhianna Zhang, and I am more than excited to embark on this TRIP! I’m currently a junior at Council Rock High School North in Newtown, PA. TRIP felt like the perfect fit for me because it grants me the freedom to create my own experiment on a topic that I’m curious about, while providing me with much-needed mentorship and resources along the way. Additionally, I have always wanted to pursue a career in STEM, and TRIP is a fantastic opportunity to connect me with like-minded peers!

​Here’s a little bit about me. Outside of school, one of my favorite ways to spend my free time is playing video games with my friends– right now, our current obsession is Minecraft. Additionally, I love listening to music when doing anything and everything! Some of my favorite artists at the time are Cocteau Twins, Lana Del Rey, Wave to Earth, and my top artist of 2024 was Kendrick Lamar. I’m also a huge foodie and love eating at new restaurants (especially the ones trending on social media), and I have a terrible sweet tooth, which is one of the reasons why I chose my kickoff experiment, “How do Ginkgo Biloba and a high-sugar diet affect fly motility?” I’m so excited to see how this experiment will turn out!

​At Council Rock North, I’m a captain of the Speech and Debate team, an activity that has turned me into both a leader and a public speaker, empowering me to mentor and make connections with my peers. I also cheer for my school’s competitive cheerleading team, a sport that is both challenging and enriching. I’m also involved in my school’s Student Government and Model UN and created a few STEM affinity clubs on my own that I am heavily dedicated to. These clubs center around creating a space for students to explore topics that are rarely addressed in my school’s standard curriculum and pre-existing extracurriculars. For example, I offer mentorship for programmers of all levels at the Computer Science club, be it designing a C# and Python curriculum for beginners or guiding upperclassmen through coding a neural network.

Hi everyone! I’m Nuha Maryam and I’m a sophomore at Conestoga High School.

​Ever since I was little, I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors. I love hiking, climbing trees, and basically anything that gets my hands dirty. My family and I love taking care of plants, so our house is filled with greenery. I’m also passionate about drawing. Although I’m not the most talented, sketching and doodling have always been something to do in my free time.

​Today marked the beginning of my immersive research experience with TRIP. We began with an icebreaker to get to know each other. We learned about how to use micropipettes and started setting up our kickoff experiments. My research focus will be to study whether or not a high sugar diet affects female fertility. It was really fun to apply concepts that I’ve learned in AP Chemistry to today’s lesson, such as the concentration of solutions and basic equipment and procedures in the lab. I can’t wait to see what else TRIP has in store!

​Hello! I am Mitchell Morin and a junior from William Tennent HS, the home of TRIP. I’ve always been interested in STEM and have been part of my school’s robotics team since I joined in 7th grade. This year, I am proud to be the programming team lead. In addition to robotics, I have enjoyed numerous challenging science and CS courses that I’ve taken throughout high school. I hope to apply some of the knowledge I have learned in those classes, as well as all of the skills I will develop throughout TRIP, to meaningful, hands-on research unlike any opportunity I’ve had before.

​During TRIP, I am excited to work with others who share my passions. I’m eager to collaborate with peers and mentors to overcome the various obstacles I will face and ultimately grow as a person. The skills that I gain from this program, such as critical thinking, data analysis, and (perhaps most importantly) communication, will translate directly towards my future journey after TRIP. Overall, I hope that I become more confident as a person and that some of the connections that I make with like-minded scientists will persist long after the program.

​That being said, why jump ahead? Yesterday was the beginning of my TRIP experience, and it was a great day. It was a pleasure to meet everyone in session A and all of the great mentors! After the icebreaker activity, we explored the lab to familiarize ourselves with all of the materials and safety precautions. Then, we learned all about micropipettes (why are so many different things called pipettes anyway?) and how to use them. After that, we took some group photos before returning to the lab. Next, I solved some problems on diluting stock solutions to desired concentrations. I already had some experience with this in AP Chem, but it was a great review and reminder to always be careful with units. Finally, I began preparing four vials of fly food for my kickoff experiment, which is “How do Melatonin and a disrupted circadian rhythm affect female fertility rates?”. I definitely made mistakes, but I’m confident that I will learn from them and improve! Oh, and for my fellow Eagles fans, GO BIRDS!

Hi everyone! I'm Mia Perez, a junior at the Creative and Performing Arts High School, where I major in instrumental music. I love music and science, so when I discovered this program opportunity to enhance my lab skills and conduct a research project, I knew I had to apply. Since taking Environmental Science in my Freshman year, I have developed a passion for labs and research. Trying each year to find opportunities to do lab research, I’m glad I found a program where I can not only do lab work but also combine all my work into a project I get to present. I hope to take my knowledge from this program and decide if it is the best career for me. (So far, so good. I have high hopes!!!)

I am from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and moved to the U.S. when I was 7 years old. Although I’m also of Dominican descent. All my life I have been surrounded by a mix of Latin cultures, eating foods from both countries, learning the history of both countries through my family, and feeling connected to each still now after living in America for almost 10 years, visiting the countries whenever I can. 

At CAPA (my high school) I mainly focus on playing the violin as it is my major, usually taking 3 major classes out of 8 classes total each year. I play in my school's orchestra, and chamber orchestra, and play violin outside of school in a program called AllCity that unites the teens around Philly schools to play all together at the Kimmel Center. I try my best to better the community around me. I am currently the secretary of my school’s Community Service Club, I'm part of the Student Council, I made a project to use music to help special needs kids, and I’m the advertisement head of the prom committee. I strive to make a positive impact on others whether that be inside the schools with school events, leading orientations for new kids, or outside the school like raising over 300 dollars from a Community Service event and donating to help women’s cancer research. 

On our first day at TRIP, we got to know the other people in the program better through competitive bingo and a scavenger hunt. We also learned how to use micropipettes and learn about dilutions. Near the end, we each got our project question and made our fly food for the project, also given a fly family to take home (I’m a bit scared of it…). Overall, it was a great first day getting to know everyone and starting on a journey that I am going to love.

​Hi everyone! My name is Mekhriyona Ilkhomova from Northeast High School. When I found out about TRIP and the opportunity it would give me to get hands-on lab experience and even my own independent lab project, I got really excited. However, as it sank in, I began to get intimidated with this unfamiliar experience that I would have to jump into and do on my own. I decided to apply anyway in order to challenge myself. 

If there’s anything I’ve learned so far in my life, it is that every single time I ever did something that made me uncomfortable, I would always be successful or learn something really valuable. Never from getting out of my comfort zone did I lose anything, ever. I’ll say this, that dream that you think you are too inferior, too unqualified to chase, that step you’re too afraid to take is what would have pushed it over the edge. That action would have transformed into your passionate, glistening dream.

I’ll tell you a story of a time I experienced this so that perhaps you may relate. There’s a business program at my school called DECA in which we compete with others in roleplays and exams. In 2023, I remember how I paced outside the doorway to the classroom and hesitated to walk into the meeting. I’ll just go tomorrow, I thought, trying to give myself an excuse. I began walking to the door, but something stopped me. I stood with my hands on the doorknob and thought why don’t I just check it out and if I don’t like it, I’ll never come back again. And so, with that, I turned back around. 

When I went to that meeting, I found out that it was the last day before they had to turn in the names of all the competitors. I remember walking home and my head was hot and throbbing at having to process so much new information and make split second decisions on things I knew nothing about. But I did go back the following days, and it went much better. I became so inspired by the speech of my advisor, Mr. McNear, and decided I was going all in. I studied daily for hours on practice exams, roleplays, and performance indicators. I would spend any ounce of extra time I had to complete a few practice questions. On my first competition, I stood around everyone else with their beautiful blazers and dress pants. Here was a group like I had never seen before. People my age who were professional, mature, and polished. I felt inferior among a group of intelligent people. So, after the competition, you can imagine how utterly stunned I was when I placed first. I genuinely couldn’t believe it when they called my name to the stage nor could I believe the cold, metal trophy I held like a misplaced object in my hands, all the way back home.

None of this would have happened if I had not done something different that I wasn’t completely comfortable with. Rather, I moved forward to discover and then put my head down and worked. This is indeed a big world, and my goal is to go out and learn as much about it as I can. It can be scary, it can be uncomfortable, and at times it could even bring more harm than good, but ultimately the experience and the self-development along the journey will be far more extraordinary.

Applying for TRIP gave me that same feeling of self-doubt and discomfort, but learning from my previous experiences, I decided to move forward with it. It was my first day yesterday and I’m absolutely in love. At the beginning, doing all the math was frustrating but Dr. Valdes and Dr. Purdy were right by my side to help me. I moved on to making my fly food with the help of Dr. Austria. I am in love with this program because of their principles. Dr. Austria would not tell me the answer. Instead, she would ask me questions until I figured it out. She was very patient, giving me the space to think critically. As I started to get the hang of things, I found that this was kind of fun. At that moment I thought that I might have just finally found it— the thing I am passionate about. I won’t speak too soon though. What I will say is that just on the first day, I can tell my research and experimentation in this program will help me learn and develop tremendously. For now, I’ll put my best effort in and see where the rest of my TRIP takes me.

​Hi everyone! My name is Richard Li, and my real name is Jiacheng Li. I am a sophomore at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy. I am an international student from China, and I would love to share with you a glimpse into my life!

​I am an extrovert and love to make friends. I also love to challenge myself with new things, so I thrive in new environments and enjoy meeting new people. I love listening to jazz and R&B, and right now my favorite artists are Laufey, Daniel Ceasar, and Frank Ocean. I also love to travel, especially to beautiful beaches! I’ve been to Maldives, the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia. My favorite subject at school, of course, is biology. I also love to learn new languages and am currently learning French and Japanese.

Before coming to the US, I grew up in a small city called Changzhi in the Shanxi province of China. I was in the strict public school system where physical punishment still exists. My mom then brought me to Beijing to attend an international school for middle school, where I found interest in international education. I persuaded my mom to send me to a US high school because I wanted to immerse myself in a diverse culture and experience a freer education system. I chose Philly because of its rich history and vibrant and diverse community—and, of course, its amazing Chinatown!

​At school, I am on the varsity rowing team. I also serve duties like student council, honor council, and student ambassadors. I am also part of the Model UN team. My school offers a program called the Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership, where students can launch their own projects like a business, nonprofit, or product. Through that, I started my nonprofit called Shanxi LifeSpark Initiative, which raises awareness about Black Lung Disease Patients (mostly coal miners) in Shanxi. Growing up in Shanxi, a region heavily impacted by the coal industry, inspired me to start this project. We’re also fundraising by selling local art products to purchase oxygen concentrators for underprivileged families affected by the disease.

​The first day was so much fun, and it was amazing to meet my colleagues who share the same interest in STEM as me! For my kickoff experiment, I will be testing the effect of Holy Basil and intestinal inflammation on anxiety. I cannot wait to dive into the research and learn alongside my interesting colleagues in the upcoming sessions!

Hi guys! My name is Hannah Tong, and I am currently a junior at Harriton High School. I originally heard of TRIP through my academic seminar teacher and was immediately interested because I thought it would be a great way to connect what I learn in the classroom with real-life scenarios! I feel like there’s definitely a gap between doing labs in school and an actual job in research, which is why I really appreciate the chance to be a part of TRIP@WTHS’25! I want to work in the medical field in the future, so TRIP will have a huge impact on whether I want to pursue a career in the lab or go down a different route. Regardless, I’m definitely going to push myself and have some fun with the amazing people here! ​

Hello everyone! My name is Jessica Joseph. I am a junior at Conestoga High School, where I am the founder, president, and ambassador of the Lingua Link Club, an ENGin chapter. The mission of Lingua Link is to serve as a Ukrainian language and culture club that provides a platform for students to tutor English to children in a warzone, share culture and history, and foster empathy and understanding for Ukrainian students. I am also the Lead Copy Editor in my school’s Literary Magazine, known as The Folio, encouraging creativity among students with literary and artistic talents. Within the school environment I am a peer mediator and peer tutor.

​During my free time, I engage in a range of extracurricular activities. I enjoy photography, painting still life, and dancing. To nurture a love for the sciences among young children I initiated a science reading program at the local library. Apart from this, I volunteer at the local soup kitchen. I also volunteer at a hospice while being a bedside companion that provides emotional support and overall wellbeing.

​My love for the sciences was ignited in freshman year. While learning about cellular biology, I was intrigued and fascinated by the role of the cell and cellular regeneration. Realizing its potential and incorporation in the process of battling cancer, I researched upon this topic. I was able to publish my research paper (on Immune Cell Regeneration and Multiple Myeloma Cancer). My pursuit of scientific inquiry and knowledge led me to apply to TRIP.

As I have embarked on this journey, I gained hands-on experience with micropipetting, making solutions and dilutions, assembling fly food in vials, laboratory procedures, and observing the developmental process of Drosophila Melanogaster (Fruit Fly). All this while having fun and making new friends and connections. I hope to fly into new horizons through this program backed by research and laboratory experimentation.